LAS VEGAS – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2) came out victorious in a battle with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-3) on Tuesday morning in day two of the Players Era Tournament, bouncing back to claim the 68-63 victory. The Irish led from 15:57 in the first half to the final buzzer, staving off a late Rutgers second-half flurry.
Notre Dame is now 1-1 in the Players Era with a -5 point differential. The program now gets to sit back and watch how the rest of the games unfold today to await their next opponent.
Junior guard Markus Burton has produced two straight 20+ games in Vegas, leading the way with 21 points on 9-13 shooting. Burton also impressed across the stat sheet with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Joining Burton in double figures were fellow junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry (13 pts) and freshman guard Jalen Haralson (15 pts). Shrewsberry led the squad from beyond the arc where he was 3-6. Haralson attacked the basket and went 6-12 from the floor.
As a team, Notre Dame shot 49.1 percent and was 8-18 from three–point range. They outrebounded Rutgers 37-28 and scored 36 of their points in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame started 0-7 from the field but then shot 15-27 (.556) for the remainder of the first half. The three-headed monster of Burton, Shrewsberry and Haralson combined to make six of the next eight to garner a 15-9 lead at the 12-minute mark. Soon after, a Haralson dunk followed by a Burton jumper pushed the Blue & Gold up 20-9.
With the Scarlet Knights in a six-minute scoring drought, the Irish had only given up three buckets, none of which were inside the arc. The first Rutgers two-point conversion didn’t occur until 7:56 in the first half.
Brady Koehler got in on the scoring action, knocking down a triple as soon as he checked in to make the Irish 5-of-7 shooting from three to start. Notre Dame’s largest lead of the half came at 2:26, up 19 at 36-17. However, Rutgers did close the half on a 7-0 run to make it 36-24.
The Irish offense and defense were in tandem with one another in the opening half, as the Irish scored 14 of their 36 points on Rutgers’ 11 turnovers. Shrewsberry led the way with 11 points on 4-8 shooting, while shooting 60 percent from deep (3-5). Burton followed with 10 points on 4-6 shooting.
Rutgers produced an 11-4 scoring run to start the second half, cutting the ND lead to five. The trio of Haralson, Mohammed and Sundra responded by attacking the rim to trade blows. At 15:28, it was 46-37, Irish.
Out of the timeout, Burton willed the next two buckets. First, a pull-up in the paint, then a strip on the defensive end and then a dish to Shrewsberry. The Irish forced a Rutgers timeout now up 50-37.
Three Rutgers triples from 11:12-8:38 pulled them to within five at the under-eight media timeout. Jamichael Davis then hit his fifth triple of the day to make it a four-point ballgame with 5:56 remaining.
Next, Logan Imes came off the bench and hit a huge three to make it 63-56 at the final media timeout.
Burton drove and scored out of the timeout, followed by Haralson diving on the ball on the defensive end to get a jump ball, possession Notre Dame. Burton then drove again and scored on the ensuing play, 67-56.
A 5-1 run in favor of Rutgers would bring the Scarlet Knights within seven at 68-61 with 1:53 remaining.
Back-to-back Irish turnovers allowed Rutgers to hang around as they capitalized and knocked another jumper to bring it within five.
Both squads had some scoring chances in the final minute, but the Irish would ultimately close it out with a 68-63 win over Rutgers on day two of the Players Era Tournament.
— ND —